Gaganyaan

Gaganyaan ("Sky Craft") is the first crewed orbital spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. It will be able to carry a crew of 1 to 3 into low earth orbit for up to seven days. Initially, it will not have rendezvous or docking capability, but those are planned upgrades. Launch mass (including both crew and service modules) will be 8,200 kg (18,100 lbs). The launch vehicle will be the GSLV Mk III.

Gaganyaan Modules (Credit: vigyanan.com)

A scaled down (550 kg) boilerplate test, called the Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) successfully flew suborbitally on 18 December 2014.

Water landing of CARE (Credit: ISRO)

A successful launch abort test on 5 July 2018. Drogue parachute deployment tests took place 12 August 2023. The first high altitude tests took place 21 October 2023. The crew module upended during recovery and a system for self-righting will be tested. Further high altitude tests are slated for early 2024 with several unmanned orbital tests flight to follow. The first manned flight (with three crew members) is slated for late 2024.

GSLV Mk III (Credit: ISRO)

 

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Page last modified: 14 November 2023 17:37:13.